We rose promptly at 6:45 and made our way over to the Saloon
for a spectacular array of fruit, fresh-baked breads, infinite
coffee and eggs cooked to order along with blueberry pancakes. I
was especially impressed with the hash-brown Lyonnaise potatoes,
made with the same skill and tender care as the very best art-
deco diner in the East. The food, as you will see, was a real
experience.

At 9:00, I had a rendezvous with destiny -- the first time
that I have ever been on a horse. I would like to take a break
here to thank Arnold Taylor for writing a very special prayer for
me that was very comforting at that time of stress -- all I could
think of was "Christopher Reeve". With apology for the
diversion, here is Arnold's Prayer:

Frank! FRANK! Has Carole arranged this Montana trip
as a penance for you? I mean, a Cattle Drive, Whitewater
Rafting, and Trap Shooting!!! Buck Benny Rides Again II !
Before you go, please write a codicil in your Last Will and
Testament that bequeaths to me one of your zoot suits so
I can keep your verve, your daring, your charm alive and
kicking (only from the knee).

However, to obviate any loss of life or limb, I have prepared
for you a paraphrase of at least a part of the 23rd Psalm for
you to say religiously (there's another way?) especially before
you go on your Cattle Drive/Whitewater Rafting/Trap Shooting
adventures:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He maketh me to safely traverse the green pastures
(and the dusty ones full of gopher holes and cow dung),
He leadeth me out of the churning waters.
He restoreth my fractured shooting arm shoulder.
He leadeth me in the path of the hot tub
for my body's sake.

Yea, 'though I walk, ride, or swim through the valley
of pain and torment
I will fear no lethal damage
for I am needed on the Lindy website
and lots of people are praying for my safe return.

Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me
all the days in Montana,
and I will dwell in good time with my friends
in the waiting line of the Glen Echo ballroom
forever.

AMEN

Lil joins me in wishing for the both of you a happy
HAPPY time. Montana is awesome!
---Arnold

And now comes the time to tell you about Nick the Horse. This
old guy was tremendous -- he was just the greatest. I had an
instant bonding moment the moment that I met Nick --- he was even
more cynical than me. It was as if he said "I'll take you
wherever you want to go, but don't try to be a cowboy. Just sit
in the saddle and appreciate the scenery. I won't do Lindy Hop
and you won't try to ride." So, Nick and I ventured off
into Marlboro Country. I'll have to admit that riding through
the tall grass and coming up onto a rise to survey the vastness
of the plains is a real thrill. Nick enjoyed munching on the
golden grass and I enjoyed the view from the Horse.

Carole had a much younger and more spirited horse named Junior
and they rode rings around us while Nick told me about his
cousin's grandson who is running at Pimlico... Nick even decided
to have some fun with me. There are about 1000 cattle just
roaming around the ranch and we (he) decided to chase a
particularly frisky yearling. Nick could move when he wanted
to.

We brought the horses back to the corral in time for lunch
which consisted of buffalo burgers. Very tasty. We hit the hot
tub again because riding is not relaxation no matter how
beautiful the scenery is.

In the afternoon came another first --- shooting a shotgun. I
have no experience with firearms of any sort. My great thanks to
Andy who gave me a crash course in trap shooting. Actually, we
participated in a thing called "Sporting Clays" which
features all sorts of targets --- those that come at you, those
that fly away, those that pop straight up, and some unusual disc-
shaped things called "rabbits" that roll on the ground.
They were offered in singles or doubles. I actually managed to
hit one of each kind of target --- although I was at the bottom
of the list in the competition. On the other hand, Carole did
much better than me. Don't mess
with deadeye Carole.

We had a tremendous dinner of barbecued ribs and chicken,
followed by homemade peach ice cream.. We did some Lindy Hop in
the saloon with CDs on and then it was time for the Hayride and
Campfire. I left a bit early to watch the wranglers hitch up the
hay wagon, since all my life, I have been doing crossword puzzles
with "harness words" like "singletree" in
them. The wranglers thought that I was nuts. The Belgian draft
horses that pulled the wagon were truly beautiful animals.

We finished the evening at a large campfire a few miles from
the ranch in the middle of a stark and empty plain. There was
nothing but the hills and a full moon. The ranch thoughtfully
provided a singer/story teller to entertain us while we sat
around the fire. Alas, there was no coyote. After thoroughly
evoking the myth of the Cowboy --- well, the site had
comfortable adirondack chairs --- I was stunned when the
wranglers brought out marshmallows, gram crackers and Hershey
bars. We had a great time making 'Smores.

We rose again at 6:45 for another outstanding breakfast and a
day of white water rafting. Due to the drought, we had to travel
about 75 miles into Yellowstone Park to find a spot with enough
current to provide a reasonable experience

We spent the entire day on the river, accompanied by our
colorful guide whos name was "Point". We got a liberal
education about the river and its flora and fauna. I was
impressed by the Osprey and the Merganser ducks.

We stopped at a hot spring which flows into the Yellowstone
River, and we found out that the Earth's crust is very thin at
this spot and that the molten magma is fairly close to the
surface, and thus the hot underground springs

Due to the low volume of the river, we only had a few real
"Roller Coaster" rides. Since I can't swim, this was
not at all a problem for me.

After doing a little Lindy Hop in the Saloon, we joined Floyd
and several of the wranglers in a trip to a high mountain work
camp. Our transportation for the evening was a 1938 Yellowstone
Tour Bus (manufactured by the White Truck Company). The ranch is
really 18,000 acres and it took us 45 minutes to drive to the
camp. Once we were there, I got a lesson in roping from Floyd
and then we barbecued inch thick t-bone steaks in the crisp
mountain air.

I got to help the cook make boiled coffee in a big spatterware
pot that hung over the campfire. You mix the grounds and water
and let it boil until a teaspoon stands traighht up in it...
Eggshells are added to clear the grounds from the coffee and it
is decanted very gently into spatterware cups. The best coffee
in the world!

After listening to the wranglers tell stories about the rodeo,
we piled back in the bus and made the journey home.

We spent our last full day at Deadrock Ranch on an
all-day cattle drive. The ranch raises about 1,000 cows. Each
cow requires 2 acres of grass every two weeks. The ranch has
18,000 acres, so every two weeks, the cows have to be rounded up
and moved from pasture to pasture (about two miles...) This is
wooded rough country, so you can't use motorized vehicles.
Hence, everything is done on horseback.

Carole rode Junior, the spirited horse, and I went out on Nick
--- "The Most Cynical Horse in the World". The
wranglers and the border collies did most of the work. Carole
got involved in the roundup while Nick and I did a stately walk
behind the cows. I can say with good conscience that no cows got
away from us, mainly because they were moving ahead of us at a
MUCH faster rate. When one of the yearlings would stray, a
border collie would run up and give him a good bite on the leg.
The older cows have learned to listen to the dogs' barking.

We stopped for lunch at a real honest to goodness Chuck Wagon
while another crew moved a herd of sheep into the pasture we had
just vacated. The cows eat the grass and the sheep eat the weeds
that the cows won't eat. Thus, the grass grows again and doesn't
get choked out by weeds. The shepherds worked on foot with
bigger dogs. One of the sheep dogs was a Great Pyrenees who
would actually jump on the back of a reluctant animal to keep it
going.

During lunch, the wranglers did rope tricks. (One of the lady
wranglers is from Munich where she specialized in Dressage before
she got into ranching...)

Then they asked us about "them fancy dance steps"
that they had been hearing about. So, we did a couple of flips
and a lockup for them. Every interest activity has its
performance aspects. We switched and I made a fool of myself
with a rope.

Most of us spent the afternoon rounding up more cows --- Nick
spent a large part of the afternoon complaining. On the other
hand, I got back to the corral in one piece although Nick prefers
to leap over streams rather than get his feet wet. That part was
a bit disorienting.

At the end of the day, We hit the hot tub again to
ward off the effects of riding. It was a good thing because our
finale party had a very hot band named Cold Smoke. I wore
my zoot suit to the party. Strangely, with all the colorful
Western dress wear, it didn't stand out that much. Having
finally adapted to the altitude, we were able to dance well into
the night. Of all things, the dance floor was nearly
perfect.

Steve and I headed off to spend five days in Cleveland. Since
I grew up down wind of the stock yards (in the days before
reliable refrigerated trucks, kids), I thought it would be an
appropriate accompaniment to Frank and Carole's dude ranch
experience.

After gussying up in our best vintage duds, we went to the Spy
Club (E. 6th St. / Warehouse District). The club is about the
size of Twist and Shout, but with the entrance straight in the
back. As you enter, you see a long bar to your right and
informal seating in the front. There is a fireplace and
bookcases (the place looks like an old speakeasy from the 20s).
Around the other side of the book case is a dance floor about the
size of T&S's with a band space to the front and the DJ booth
off in the left hand corner. The floor is wood. To the
immediate right of the floor is more informal seating and a huge
wall screen, upon which they play old movies of bands and dancing
(no sound).

Off to the right is an outdoor patio with a bar, tables and
chairs. There is a wood plank floor in front of the bar, which
becomes a practice space for aerials and new footwork.

We got there in time to hear a bit of the DJ, David M. Earle
durl@apk.net who keeps the
songs a-comin'. He played an interesting combination of old and
new and everything was FAST.

The floor was crowded and the onlookers encroached. Perhaps
because of the crowd or because of the skill of the dancers,
mostly six-count was being done. Another couple on the dance
floor (he in a dark, pinstripe suit and she in a black cocktail
dress) was doing Lindy. Unfortunately, they were also doing
flips, which got pretty precarious for the dancers surrounding
them.

The band came on at 10 pm (this was a Thursday, folks!). We
immediately attracted attention...with our outfits and our
dancing. Out of nowhere, this hand reached out for me. "I
must dance with you," said the young man. His name is Joel
Plys and he works in Cleveland for Andersen Consulting during the
week. He frequents the Spy Club and has been longing to do a new
tandem Charleston routine that he learned recently. Joel says
that Chicago has a 7-day a week scene. If you're planning to
visit Chicago sometime soon, e-mail Joel at Joel.A.Plys@ac.com

The band was the Swing Lizards. They played
predominantly jump blues, only slowing things down once or twice.
Steve pulled out that Dean Collins whip for "I've Got
Everything I Need....Almost" and I narrowly missed the mike,
the music stand, the lead singer.... The Swing Lizards had a
trumpet player who looked no older than about 25 years old. He
played way too good for his age. The rest of the band had the
look of a veteran blues band. They were solid. They generally
have local gigs during the week, but are available for weekends.
They did not have a business card handy, so we got a copy of
their new CD, which we will review. We'll post the information
up on the website.

Round about 11:00 pm (Thursday, folks) the band took a break
and the regulars (including a young woman named Stephanie, who we
met at Ain't Misbehavin' dance camp last year) tried to clear the
floor for the jam. The DJ played 2 versions of "Sing, Sing,
Sing" back-to-back, while everybody came out with their best
stuff. We were the only couple doing aerials. Stephanie and her
partner and Joel and I joined Steve in doing the only Lindy
moves. Everyone else was six count, including an old-timer
couple out there doing some West Coast Swing. The crowd was
appreciative.

Overall, the scene wasn't too bad. It was crowded, but not
extremely rough--despite the inexperience of the dancers. It was
smoky, but most of the hard core cigar afficciados kept to the
back patio.

We rose at 6:45 for yet another spectacular ranch
breakfast and said goodbye to our hosts and all our new found
friends. Our great thanks to the Philip Morris Company for
making this wonderful week possible. The rest of the day was
spent travelling back to DC. Due to some delays, we arrived at
Dulles at midnight, too late to make even a small appearance at
America.

I went to America on Friday, after a long absence. The first
six dancers to show up were all male, which was not good for our
morale. And the first lady to show up arrived with an escort, so
that wasn't much of an improvement. But the gals did show up
eventually.

Given how packed the floor was, you would never have guessed
that we were competing with either Labor Day Weekend vacationing
or Savoy Swings. There was a jam, but I was four rows behind the
action, and I am not particularly tall, so all I could see was a
fleeting glimpse of a flying head or foot.

I read some of your website comments on hunting for vintage
clothing, and think it would be helpful if you would comment on
the typical price range for the more commonly sought items. A
neophyte is going to know a bargain from a ripoff.
---Iver

Steve and Sue continue
with their review of their trip to fabulous Cleveland:

We met up with some friends of ours who now live in Columbus.
We went to

Fat Fish Blue

, located directly behind Tower
City, downtown. The restaurant features cajun food and live
blues. Although we did not stay to hear the singer (Poppa
Chubby...a guy so big he could use his own zip code...) we did
get some dancing in. We headed off to the Flats, along the
Cuyahoga River, walk off our meal. We ended up at a beer tent
that was set up on the board walk. We ordered some wheat beers
and began to watch the boats cruise up and down the river. The
bartenders were playing all sorts of weird tunes on the stereo
system and all of a sudden, they played Brian Setzer's "Sexy
and Seventeen." After a bit of coaxing, Steve and I hit the
decks and started dancing. The foot traffic on the boardwalk
came to a halt and everyone in the place began clapping and
yelling. Nothing like a little ham to go with your beer.

Unfortunately, in Cleveland, unless someone is sponsoring a
special dance or there's a dance friendly band at Wilberts, there
is no regular swing dancing on Friday nights and about once a
month on Saturdays.

We recovered from jet lag enough to see Bill Kirchen
at the finale of Twist and Shout. It looked like most of the
regular dancers were at Savoy (or somewhere else...) although we
did run ito Gideon Killion. Kirchen was great as usual, and did
extended versions of "Rockabilly Funeral" and "Hot
Rod Lincoln" as a tribute to the demise of the venue.

Steve and Sue continue
with their review of their trip to fabulous Cleveland:

We went to Hale Farm and Village, in Bath, OH...midway between
Cleveland and Akron. Bath has the unfortunate reputation of
being the place where Jeffrey Dahmer grew up. But way before
that, it was a frontier town along the Ohio Canal. In 1970, the
granddaughter of Mr. Hale donated the family house and farm to
the Western Reserve Historical Society. Through the years, they
purchased and moved historic, frontier homes to this location to
re-create a frontier town that they have called
"Wheatfield". In
1820, when the canal first opened, Ohio was part of the Western
Reserve of Connecticut. Many of the folks who settled
northeastern Ohio were decendents of famous Connecticut families:
the Mathers, the Wades, the Stones and the Hales to name just a
few. This year, Hale Farm and Village began a role playing
project, much like the folks who role play at Harper's Ferry and
Williamsburg. But unlike those places, the year HF&V chose
was 1840, a year when talk was not of war, but everyday life.
It's a smaller size outdoor museum, with plenty of activities
throughout the year, including sheep and wool days in the spring
and a yule log ceremony at Christmas. They plan to have weddings
and wakes in the future.

Saturday night, we headed off to Lakewood for the Ain't
Misbehavin' dance. When we arrived, we were informed that the
dance was closed to the public (something that was not said on
the flier). Last year, the dances were open, so needless to say,
we were a bit puzzled by the change in policy. We were puzzled
even more when we saw that the hall was only half full. I asked
Carl Knopp, the organizer, if, indeed he was closing the dance to
the public. He confirmed the policy and informed us that he
would not make an exception for us. We stayed long enough to say
hi to the many people we met last year, teach someone who was at
the Spy Club on Thursday our new aerial, and hug Donna Barker who
was teaching there.

Apparently, over 220 people signed up for the weekend, so Carl
declared it a rousing success. 220 people really crowded the
hall during the lessons, so I guess he figured that he would not
be able to let anyone in for the dances. He didn't realize that
(as was the case last year) many people only came for one or two
lessons and didn't attend the dances. There were about 30 people
last year who came to the dances only. Anyway, we were there
long enough to notice that the presence of Rusty Mason helped the
band greatly. They were tighter and the songs were shorter. The
drummer was swinging and not soloing. There were more couples
attemping 8-count. I did not see either Frankie Manning,
Paulette Brockington or Norma Miller at the dance. They were
there for the lessons, however.

I don't want to raise a bunch of sour grapes, because we did
not call Carl ahead of time to ask about the dances. It was
disappointing that he could not accomodate additional dancers
when it was clear that he had the capacity. I guess he felt that
this year, he did not need to reach out to the community at
large. Funny thing is, Carl holds a kick-off contra dance on
Friday. I bet that wasn't restricted to those folks who signed
up for the lessons...but maybe I'm wrong on that.

I was off in Boston for APSA's annual meeting and was really
looking forward to doing some dancing. I knew it was unrealistic
to think that I'd get out during the week of the meeting, but I
hoped anyway. It turned out that with pre-7 am required staff
breakfasts, 14 hour plus days, and spending most of that time on
my feet, I was accurate in that unfortunate assessment.

So I didn't manage to get out until Sunday evening,
accompanied by Jim, Claire (a college friend), her brother Nick,
and some of his friends. THE place to be on Sunday nights is the
Upstairs Lounge by the new Fleet Center (yes, they really did
tear down
the Boston Garden, more's the pity). The dancers were there, the
teachers were there...the club owner never showed. Which sucked,
as we were all really looking forward to dancing. One of the
Boston regulars whipped out a cell phone and began frantically
calling every other club anyone could think of, to no avail. No
one was doing a swing night, no one was willing to do a swing
night...it looked as if all might tbe lost.

So in true Lindy fashion, we took to the streets and danced in
an alley for more than 2 hours! Despite
the....mmmmm....interesting dance surface (talk about a high
crown on the road!) and limited tune selection (most people only
had tapes or CDs with music that was on the very bottom limit of
the Lindy-able - probably 120-130 bpm on most songs), we had a
great time.

I danced a lot and showed a few people a few steps, and Jim
danced a little and spent a lot of time showing people steps. Of
course everyone wanted to learn air steps, and we responded with:
"We don't do air steps, but we can show you how to do a
Charleston (swing out, throw out, double turn, etc.)."

This actually provided a nice atmosphere in which we could, in
a non-lecturing way, point out that good dancing is defined by
good dancing, not throwing your partner all over the place. We
also got a low-key opportunity to point out to a few guys who
were telling ladies "just stand there - I do all the
work" that they really did have it quite backwards. I
suspect we saved a few guys' backs and shoulders from serious
injury.

Anyway, we danced and danced until the cops came and made us
clear the street shortly before midnight. We told everyone about
the Web site, Dancestore, and VSO, and I think we have a few
takers on VSO. So if you hear some folks talking about where to
"pahk the cah" during VSO, be sure to make them feel
welcome!

My family was in Louisville, KY over the Labor Day weekend
visiting family. Of course we decided to check out the local
swing scene. Unfortunately we can't give much of a report since
the only places where one might dance also serve liquor, and BY
LAW no one under 21 may even enter the premises - even with a
parent in tow! Since we had our two teenage daughters with us,
we weren't able to enjoy the band or any dancing. In addition,
at the one place with a swing band (at least, it was billed as a
swing band), even though the newspaper advertised the band from
10 p.m. on, at the door we were told that the band wouldn't even
start playing until almost 11 p.m.

The second night we ate at a restaurant which advertised a
"jazz duo." They played/sang soft, "we don't want
to disturb your dinner" type music, and most of the songs
were of fairly recent vintage. Then we spotted a few oldies in
their song list and requested a couple of good swing tunes.
Their "dance floor" consisted of flagstones with about
enough room for one couple to jitterbug/lindy at a time, but Cory
and I got out there and did our lindy-best. We messed up lots of
moves and even had to stop and restart a few times (I follow a
LOT better than I lead, despite what John says), but we had fun.
So you can imagine our surprise when everyone acted as if we
danced like Tom and Debra!

Several people - both the singer and people eating dinner)
asked us if we taught dance, and wanted to know what the dance we
did was called. We were astounded, since we know our limitations
all too well. It was nice for our egos, but the main conclusion
we reached was ---- Louisville is ripe for someone who knows what
they are doing to step in to teach lindy and hold dances (as
opposed to playing music for those who are over 21 to drink
to).

Carole and I drove down to Annapolis for the Mood swings
First Monday dance at Club Hollywood. We had a great time and
Mood swings continues to develop as a band. They are adding
arrangements and their nutty comedy bits are a real hoot. We
were very impressed with Billy Lipmann, the drummer. In addition
to keeping the band ticking, it turns out that he is a really
SERIOUS collector of vacuum cleaners, a subject near and dear to
my heart. However, Billy is so far advanced that his collection
makes mine look pitiful and small by comparison. These guys are
a lot of fun and you should get out to see them if you can!

We made a trip to Vienna Grille after several
absences due to travel. Attendance was down due to the exodus to
college --- now we have to find all the swing dancers who came
TO the local area colleges and get them out to Vienna! My
thanks to all the folks who helped in celebrating my birthday and
to all the lovely ladies who graciously joind in my dance
lineup.

We have a new venue on Tuesdays just after work, starting this
past Tuesday. Sorry for the late notice, but we wanted to check
it out first, so we'd be able to answer questions and give
details.

On Tuesdays from 6:00 - 9:00 pm, we are at Ozio's Martini &
Cigar Lounge. Ozio's is located on K St. between 18th & 19th NW.
Here's both the plusses & minuses:

The Plus:

The DJ has a pretty good selection of swing stuff, both from
the big band era and the modern stuff like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
He will play whatever is requested. There's adequate room to
dance and the owner has said he will move couches and chairs to
create more room if we want/need. The decor is very classic
"Rat Pack" swing era, with some GREAT portraits of
Hollywood stars of the era drawn on the columns. Food is
inexpensive and plentiful.

The Minus:

It's a cement floor with a VERY low ceiling. Aerials are
DEFINITELY out in this place! It is a cigar bar -- it has a very
good air system, so it's not as smoky as I feared, but that
tell-tale cigar odor does remain (...and get in your clothes).
If anyone works in the area and would like to drop by after work
before heading out to the Vienna Grill, we'd love to see
them.

We rushed downtown to get in on the Media Frenzy as
the Starr report was delivered. Once again, we did a lot of
clowning for the camera crews. The CNN guys think that we are
part of any major news event. We hung out at the White House for
a while then left for Sholl's for dinner. (Washington's unsung
restaurant where two can dine in high style for less than $9 ---
while studying the company picnic photos from the 1930s for
vintage clothing ideas...) After that, we headed for Capitol
Hill where we kept other news crews company. Of note: there are
an enormous number of bats that fly over the capital riding on
thermals --- created no doubt from the hot air emanating within.
We watched a distinguished looking congressman give a solemn
interview about the president's misdeeds. Then we watched as
this sepuagenarian walked off in the company of not one but two
comely twenty-something-and-very-female "aides" --- I
yelled out "Hey, Congressman --- practice what you
preach!" while I snapped off a few shots of the geezer with
his arm around both ladies. He seemed to get very nervous and
the trio beat a hasty retreat to a Lincoln Town Car. No doubt
they were his neices... but still, he didn't appear to be FSC
(i.e "First Stone Capable.") The news people had a
good laugh.

It was a cold night for a change and we headed off to the
Tune Inn, the last remaining working class bar in the
city. (If you hear the word "policy" there, you can be
sure that it has been prefaced with "insurance".)
Amidst the stuffed animals, we did a little Lindy in the
aisles.

This was my birthday and We celebrated it by getting
dressed up in our vintage finery and heading for Baltimore. We
had a great lunch at Haussner's (3242 Eastern Avenue,
410-327-8365) which is located in the middle of Highlandtown, the
setting for most of Barry Levinson's films on Baltimore. If you
haven't been to Haussner's, you should go --- and dress in
vintage. The place is not only a fantastic restaurant, but also
an art gallery. Every square inch of the wall space is covered
with paintings and sculpture. The room has a magical romantic
quality --- and the food is just fantastic. Lunch with dessert
and nonalcoholic beverages came to about $30, so it will not
break your pocketbook. From there, we headed out to Pimlico
where I had hoped to use my new found knowledge of horses to
advantage. Alas, there is no live racing in September.
However, we were able to find a few nice thrift stores and I came
home with some treasures, including a beautiful 1932 Roto Blade
Fan.

The J Street Jumpers were at Kemp Mill Music for another
lunchtime sidewalk concert, only this time with FAR more pleasant
weather! The Jumpers sounded great, and the downtown business
crowd really seemed to enjoy them. Folks even came down from
nearby office buildings when they heard the sweet tunes floating
up. Unfortunately, I hadn't know about it ahead of time, so I
was wearing a long straight skirt and Birkenstocks - not the
greatest dance attire in the world - but it was a good time
anyway, and I did do a little dancing.

Tom and Debra wowed the crowd with fancy footwork and
death-defying aerials (really! you should see the slant on the
sidewalk in front of Kemp Mill) and passed out tons of lesson
fliers. And Tom, Debra, and I took a page from the DC Hand Dance
book and danced together on one of the Jumpers' slower tunes to
the amusement of everyone there.

Now we just have to get some more leaders to turn out for
these things - despite the best efforts of Tom and Dan Daley, we
were a bit short. All you in-town fellas need to come out to
these lunch time sidewalk jams so all us ladies have someone to
dance with!

We were at GMU for the George Gee/Flipped Fedoras
dance. We had a great time, but we'll let Elizabeth tell you
about it. If you have time, check out our George Gee Photoessay

This was my first time hearing either George Gee or Nick
Palumbo, and they were SMOKIN'! This was a really well-done
dance all around. The LDS student association did a great job
getting both the bands, and the two band format kept us all
hopping all night long. Everyone was decked in their finest,
with Chris in his fabulous new Zoot Suit - even wearing the
jacket! - and others, including fresh from San Fran Duke and
Frank, showing off new stuff - or at least new vintage.

Both bands played a good mix of mid- and up-tempo numbers, and
the canary for the George Gee band has one of the best voices
I've ever heard. The floor, thankfully, was a dramatic
improvement over the Lavay Smith dance. It was a bit sticky from
recent varnishing, but comparatively, it was just grand. The A/C
was pumping and the dance sponsors had copious water available,
but it's amazing how a room that feels cold at first starts to
feel awfully hot after about the second tune of the evening.

We were moving all night long, with very short breaks between
the sets (just long enough for the bands to switch), and contests
and give-aways during all the set breaks. The jam, which ended
the evening, was one of the best I've ever seen. Both bands
joined up to play together, and everyone kept it short and
interesting, with lots of folks showing off new steps and new
aerials. PsychoBoy did great routines with both Naomi and Nina,
and Jeff and Tricia did that incredible flip where she comes
forward over his shoulder and the illusion is that he's flipping
her by her neck!!!

There was so much good stuff in the jam, I can't even describe
it all, so I'll leave something for others to gush about. The
crowd loved every minute of it, and Jim and I just sat there with
our mouths hanging open thinking, "Yikes! We suck!"
It was just amazing.

George Gee and the Flipped Fedoras played to about 400 swing
dancers at George Mason University. The room was big and the
floor was excellent. It was like Glen Echo with air conditioning.
Thank the Mormon University Club for footing the bill and
sponsoring the event. It was a fun evening.
---Cameron

On Friday I went to George Mason U to see George Gee. They
were great. Ok, not spaghetti dinner great, but damned good
nonetheless. George Gee's singer is incredible. I could have
listened to/danced to them all night. The floor is definitely
NOT suspended...Thomas and I were commisserating on the poor
condition of our knees. But George Gee made it all worth while.
As did seeing Jennifer and Sasha who came down for the event.
They stayed over night and then came down to my shop for a couple
of hours of shmoozing and shopping --- all to the sounds of
Indigo Swing etc.

We checked out the Poli-Tiki Subterranean Bar
(319 Penn Ave in SE [Capitol Hill] 202-546-1001). This is a very
nice place --- someone has invested a whole lot of money to
create a retro Tiki Bar, sort of like the old Trader Vic's ---
the exception is that Politics is the theme. All those Tiki gods
are cariacatures of presidents and the whole thing is good
humored recreation of the Polynesian craze of the late 1940s.
Walk in and you can almost hear Arthur Godfrey strumming on his
ukelele. They offer exotic drinks in funny glasses with big
straws --- they were even willing to serve us iced tea in such
glasses. The dance floor is upstairs and it is pretty good. The
place is very clean and well done -- there are nice leather
chairs and the crowd seems to be into swing. We saw Jumpin'
Jupiter and their rockabilly stylings suited us just fine. A
really nice evening. Keep this place in mind.

With no thanks to C-SPAN...Steve and I only got one night of
Lindy in this week...so we made it a pretty good one at Avalon
with the Brooks Tegler Quintet. We'd never been to Avalon for a
dance...only for lessons, so we didn't know what to expect. When
we arrived at 9:30 the place was jammed packed. Leslie Coombs
convinced us to stay until after the first set, when the
exhausted beginners would clear out. A few did, and she
graciously opened the doors for the rest of us. Avalon was air
conditioned, but even the most heavy duty unit would have failed
against the sweaty, steamy multitude. I've always liked Avalon
as a location--can't beat the small-town, mainstreet, storefront,
Americana set up. It's like something out of Norman Rockwell.
Unfortunately, the benefit of having a storefront at all is lost
once the windows steam up.

I enjoyed dancing with Ray Keaney, who I never get to see
anymore. It was nice seeing the new Fly Cat's routine (the Big
Apple, choreographed for them by Ryan Francois and Jenny Thomas).
They've really improved on it since its debut at Mobtown. The
local high school swing club was there in full force selling
cookies to raise money for their lessons. It's wonderful how
Leslie's supporting the local youth (because there can't be much
in the way of teen-friendly activities in that greater Baltomore
area). Keep 'em on the dance floor, keep 'em outta jail...that's
what I always say.

A couple of low notes (it wouldn't be a review without them).
Brooks' band was hot, but the songs are just too long. I clocked
one at around 10 minutes. I know, I know...they danced to long
songs in the old days... hey, but this was new and people didn't
know any better. Another low note was a botched attempt at a
dance version of "trading eights." Leslie's a big fan
of getting dancers to pay attention to the music. Brooks and
Leslie created what they thought could be a fun game for dancers
to "trade eight [bars of music]" with the band. The
band would play eight, the dancers would dance eight, then the
band would play four, the dancers would dance four, then the band
would play two, and the dancers would dance two (mayhem to
ensue...) It didn't quite turn out that way. It was not clear
whether the band would play one set of eight and then we'd have
just one set of dancers dancing eight or whether the band would
keep counting out eight bars until all of the dancers who wanted
in would dance. It essentially disintegrated into a mini-jam.
I'd actually like to see the band play eight, and then count out
2 sets of eight bars while two couples "trade eight".
Then play 4 and then have two couples "trade four" and
so on. You have to have someone on the sidelines counting bars
and cuing couples. If you're confused by now, so were we.

The rumor of the night is that the Indian restaurant next
store appears to have no visible means of support. They've been
closed for months, leaving all observers to wonder about whether
it may be a front for some sort of nefarious activity. Who
knows...could expansion be in Avalon's future?

On Saturday evening, Steve, Sue and I went up to Avalon. We
got there at about 9:30, thinking it's Avalon, what the hey.
What the hey, indeed. We had to WAIT, albeit for a short while.
Leslie, I think, was delighted AND overwhelmed by the crowd.
Brooks Tegler was playing, sans Lynn McCune -- meaning just
instrumentation, no great vocals. He mixed fast and moderate,
throwing in a little slow here and there. During one of the
breaks, the FlyCats performed their new routine--the one they did
at the Kennedy Center! Choreagraphed bu Ryan and Jenny....it is
fantastic. I am glad I got to see it there cuz I did not get to
the Kennedy Center. The only down side of the whole evening was
this experiment that Brooks and some of the FlyCats tried to do.
Ray had to explain to Sue, Bob Kleinpeter and myself what the
experiment was SUPPOSED to be, i.e, a take off on trading eights.
For those who don't know, in the good old days, musicians would
trade bars...the drummer would play eight (or 16 or 4 or
whatever) and then the sax player would play eight. Or the
clarinet. Sometimes the drummer would drum and then the dancers
would dance. Unfortunately, if Ray hadn't explained
it......well. Nice try, Brooks. We had a great time anyway.
When we got back to Steve and Sue's we HAD to watch South Park,
and that meant I did not get home til after 3:00, too late for
this tired old body.

Hello all,
Well, the newly organized UVA Swing Club had its very first
dance. We were expecting a turnout of 100 people. However, the
final count came to about 300 people! Gretta and I taught a
rudimentary 6-count lesson. It was such a different atmosphere
than Glen Echo or America, though! First of all the primary
focus of Glen Echo is enhancing one's dancing abilities, whereas
the primary focus of college is making straight A's...he he
he...just kidding...as 9out of 10 actual college students will
tell you, the primary focus of college is hooking-up. So the
group was large yet manageable, until we put the ladies and the
gentlemen together. As soon as they got within two feet of each
other, an overwhelming cacophony of banal small talk broke out
and this was the way it was for the rest of the evening. While
everybody tried to do the steps once we showed them everything,
many of them struggled as a result of their short attention
span. On the whole, though, I was pleased with the lesson. Of
course, not everybody gets it right away but by the end of the
night, the room was full of able East Coast dancers. It is a
nice sensation to look out at the crowd and say "Look at
that. I just taught three hundred people how to
dance."

It really is intrinsically rewarding to see so many people
take such a liking to the thing that you love to do more than
anything. I can't wait for the course that we will be teaching
to begin. It's going to be a lot of fun. Well, that's your
weekly report from way down here in C-Ville. I'll be back this
weekend so I hope to see everybody either at America or Forest
Glen.
See you soon (Fri.!),
Matt Smiley

We joined Jim and Elizabeth Engel and Elizabeth's
brother for a double-header -- we started at Ozio (a very nice
place) and went on to Vienna Grille where we celebrated the
birthdays of Wendy Dutcher and Larry MacDonald. We were glad to
see Dan Dailey, Laura Stark and Scott Seymour at Ozio. We're
going to let Elizabeth tell the story:

Ozio is a cigar and martini bar at 19th and K downtown that,
thanks to the efforts of Ellen and Mark, is starting swing nights
on Tuesdays from 6-9 pm. The down sides are a cement floor and a
fairly low ceiling. However, the DJ was really good, playing a
great mix of old and new, slow, medium, and fast, and well-known
and more obscure tunes. Also, the A/C and ventilation systems
are terrific. I didn't smell cigar smoke at all, even
through several patrons were smoking them (and I tend to be
pretty smoke-sensitive), and the temperature was all I could've
hoped for.

Mark and Ellen don't offer a formal lesson - they are just
there to dance and to answer any questions anyone who's there may
have (free coaching, anyone?). The crowd seemed very
appreciative of the few dancers who were there - Jim and I, my
brother (who's in town for a few days), Frank and Carole, Dan
Daley, and, in a rare appearance, Laura and Scott (where have you
kids been lately?). Mark and Ellen spent a good portion of the
evening teaching various steps to various people (including us,
finally figuring out a Charleston transition that's been bugging
Jim since the end of June), while Dan bravely and graciously
asked all the interested-looking women in the crowd to dance -
and got them up and dancing - and Frank and Carole and Jim and I
did our best to keep all the lounge types entertained. We did a
Shim Sham, we did a Jitterbug Stroll, we did a little jam, Ellen
and Mark did a great Mambo - it was a really good time.

According to my sources, Mark and Ellen have a trial month to
see if they increase traffic and revenue at Ozio. So we want to
get people out - particularly tell all your lounge friends to
come watch the dancing and drink martinis to up the bar revenues.
It's a great place to drop by between work and Vienna Grill.
It's early (6-9 pm), there's no cover, the food is cheap and not
bad, and wait staff were very nice to us, bringing us pitcher
after pitcher of water. And don't worry about the cement floor
too much - it's very smooth, and there isn't a huge amount of
dancing room, so you'll get plenty of breaks.

After Ozio, we all piled into Carole's Toyota and headed to
the Grille for the Tuesday night birthday celebrations and
dancing. MMMMM! Ice cream cake, in honor of Larry and Wendy.
After the cement at Ozio, the floor felt like a dream. One thing
I really love about the Grille is that, since everyone pretty
much knows everyone else, everyone dances with pretty much
everyone else. It's like spending an evening with your extended
family, only you like everyone who's there. I wish we could get
out to Vienna more often, but it's usually a pretty late night,
particularly for Jim who has to get up at 6 am to get to
work!

We did the Jitterbug Stroll again, which was a good thing from
my perspective, since I'm still trying to learn it, and another
Shim Sham, and the Gator played his usual fun mix of styles and
tempos. Carole showed off her latest finds, including her truly
hideous entry for the Ugly Dress/Ugly Suit dance, date still TBA.
Start combing the 70's racks at your fave vintage store to be
ready!

I got to dance with Charlie for the first - and second - time
yesterday evening. Yep, he's so good that asking him to dance is
definitely intimidating (fortunately, he asked me!), but I highly
recommend to all the followers out there who, like me, were too
scared to ask him to dance that you work up your courage and do
it, and prepare yourself for a terrifically fun experience. And
act soon, as he goes in for knee surgery in early November, after
which he'll be out of commission for a while.

Speaking of out of commission dancers, be sure to keep Arnold
in your thoughts. Missing in action lately, he showed up at the
Grille last night in an arm brace! Tennis elbow of the shoulder
was how he explained it to all of us, and he's recently had
surgery! Best wishes for a quick recovery Arnold, and I know
you'll be back out there dancing ASAP - actually, your doctor
would probably not be terribly pleased to know that you were
dancing some last night, but we just won't tell, will we?

Swing dancing came to Lulu's for a second week. Tom and
Carolyn taught a beginner lesson at 8:00pm and then Tom spun the
CDs until 1:00am. Sara and I showed up around 11:30 to compete in
the Tom-run amateur dance contest at midnight. Frank and Carole
were there as well as were three other couples. The winner got a
certificate for a tour in some country south of the border. Sara
and I did our tricks but it was not enough. Frank and Carole
eeked out a few more claps and won the contest. Congratulation
to the "Keepers of the Web."

Lulu's is a typical down town bar The floor is solid but the
space is limited to about 7 couples, but plenty of tables and a
good environment for a good lounge scene. So if you like to
dress vintage but can't really dance, this is a good environment
for you. Come vintage, drink a beer, and practice your cool
moves to become better rugcutter.
---Cameron

We visited Baltimore once more. We began with an
early lunch at the Baltimore Women's Industrial Exchange (330
Cahrles Street, three blocks south from the Walters Art Gallery
in Mount Vernon. This institution has been in business for more
than 80 years and was originally founded as a place for women to
sell hand made crafts. The dining room is decorated in classic
1940s style and the menu matches --- we had just about the best
chicken salad that we have ever had accompanied by an amazing
tomato aspic and home made mayonnaise. The coffee was great,
too. (about $7 per person for lunch. It is not only that the
food is excellent, but it LOOKS just like the illustrations in
our 1940s cookbooks. This should be a must-do for your next
visit to Baltimore.

We went to the Tom Cunningham Orchestra gig at
America Restaurant. As usual, the place was packed to the gills
and it was HOT. There were a whole lot of new people and a
random, but unscientific sampling of the crowd indicated that the
new arrivals at local colleges have begun to discover the Swing
Scene here. The Jam was great -- Duke seems to be orchestrating
some very complex "scenarios" with four or five
participants. If this trend continues, there will be dialogue
and special sets... We think that it's just great when people
put their energy and creativity to work (overtime) in the
Jam.

Hey Frank!
Had to send in a review . . . Friday night is blossoming! Ellen
and I went to the debut of John McCalla's Friday night dances at
the Dawn Crofton Dance Center in Gaithersburg and had a
WONDERFUL time! John, Naomi and Nina taught a great class
before the dance that gave everyone a real feel for swing. When
the music started for open dancing, everyone was swinging
out!

Chris Cowles did a fine job spinning the CDs and was even able
to slip out on thefloor to do a little fancy footwork himself!
Speaking of floors -- its a NICE one!! It's wood (of course),
smooth, well sprung and great for dancing!! It's a good size and
has mirrors to help anyone who wants to mimprove his/her look...
In short, John has a good thing going here!! We'll definitely be
back and recommend that you all check it out, too!

Variety is the spice of life and Fridays now has some
wonderful choices! America (First and Third Friday with Tom
Cunningham - Tom and Debra Second and Last Friday with Swing
Shift - Marc and Ellen), Zones, and a new and a really wonderful
addition thanks to John McCalla. Why not try some of each!!!

We went to Forest Glen to see the Bill Eliot Trio.
We were a little bit nervous about whether a trio could fill the
big hall. Our fears were unfounded --- the band was a smashing
success! The songs were all hot Moderate to fast swing from the
heart of the Goodman book. The guys even extemporized at length
during a very exhuberant Jam. I think that Lindy Hoppers of all
ages and experience levels had a really great time. We really
cant heap high enough praise on Bill and his distinguished
colleages --- get up to see them in Westminster in a more
intimate setting!

Where do I begin with my usual list of thank yous? To Frank,
for recommending The Bill Eliot Trio, to the Trio for being so
incredibly good, to Mercedes for providing the help of ten men,
to Matthew for being our intrepid sound guy, and to Steve for
being everything else but. Cameron and Ellen W. worked the Glen
Echo line encouraging "waiters" to go dancing right
away. Ken H. & Donna B. taught a wonderful and successful
beginner lesson. Eugenia Spitovski and her band of tangueros and
tangueras (Jim K. taught me the proper term) gave us a peek into
upcoming tango events. Big Tall Steve Cowles and the lovely and
talented Carla H. gave a great Charleston lesson. The volunteers
were wonderful, as usual and clean-up took a lot less time than
last time.

Yes, yes, the floor was sticky. When we walked in Saturday
afternoon, we were greeted by a ballroom floor caked with mud and
dried soda. I spent two hours mopping. I ran out of time to
buff. Volunteers would have been extremely helpful...so before
you complain to my face (or behind my back) you better come up
with a good excuse not to volunteer for the next dance. OK?
Actually, Ken H. has offered his floor buffing services for the
next time. We're going to try and develop a floor maintenance
plan for our regular events...since they are becoming so
regular.

I'll let everyone else review the band in detail...but I just
want to say one thing. I love the music and the dancing and I've
met some wonderful people doing this, but what gets me so excited
is when I see young kids going crazy over musicians old enough to
be their great grandparents. In our youth-oriented culture, it's
so refreshing to see a genuine appreciation for the kind of
talent that can only be forged through the years. The smoky
voice of a female vocalist, the expert hand of the drummer, the
reliable baseline of the pianist and the colorful tunesmithing
from the clarinet and sax can only be created by seasoned
professionals who ply the trade year in and out. That is why it
is also important to support good local bands. We want them
around years from now, even more talented than they are
today.

One of the features of these Forest Glen Ballroom dances is
the age range. Thanks to Bob Duckman at WWDC-AM 1260, the word
has gotten out to the seniors of Silver Spring. When you see
them at one of our dances, ask them for a spin. Thanks to those
of you who did on Saturday. They also love to watch you show
off. It pleases them to see young people enjoy this music too.
One particular woman named Sarah, who hasn't been out dancing at
night in years, was very pleased to have been asked three times
in a row! She's in her eighties and used to dance Lindy when she
was a kid.

And now onto some good news for you all. I just returned from
our quarterly meeting with General Burger, the manager of the
Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Bonnie Rosenthal, President of
Save Our Seminary, mentioned that we've been raising quite a bit
of money from these dances (avg. $1,200 a dance). It's starting
to pile up and we were interested in doing some immediate clean
up and spruce up of the ballroom: get rid of the ugly-ass
curtains, fix the floor, fix the broken stained glass window, rip
up the cruddy carpeting, get some decent chair storage caddies,
replace the nasty tables...etc... HE IS INTERESTED IN WORKING
WITH US. I will keep you posted on developments as they happen,
including any opportunities to volunteer as they crop up! I
think you will soon see tangible results of your efforts to
support the ballroom!

We've also been told that the Army will begin stablization
measures, roof and window repair and waterproofing, in the next
few weeks. That, and we're making progress on the negotiations
between the Army and GSA for a property transfer. Things are
progressing. And, by the way, the phone calls to Representatives
and Senators are working too. A member of Connie Morella's staff
attended the General's meeting. So keep those phone calls
coming. Every bit helps! We are building the groundwork for a
general commitment to keeping the ballroom a place for public use
as we move to restore the entire property. Thanks again.

It was off to the ballroom (The FOREST GLEN ballroom) at about
9:30--look ma, no lines!

But first a stop at Glen Echo, where I was soon joined by
Cameron, to hand out fliers about the Forest Glen gig to all
those poor souls who have not yet learned that to get into Glen
Echo you need to get there sometime before lunch. Cameron and I
quickly ran out of fliers. A number of folks had never heard of
Forest Glen and decided to come by rather than wait on line for
an hour or more. I know they were not disappointed. I was happy
to do my part for the CAUSE, ie, saving Forest Glen--I am sure by
now most folks know that I am hopelessly enamoured by the whole
place. But still, I admit, I was anxious to get there: I had
heard great things about the Bill Elliot Trio, and I wanted to
hear them play . When I walked into the FG ballroom, I was NOT
prepared.

Now, I KNOW what a trio is: I just couldn't believe I wasn't
hearing more than three pieces... that's how good they were. They
played a nice mix of fast and slow, all very danceable. I think
that someone must of warned them away from any cha-cha's, etc.
because they played none. I know I am in the minority, but I love
an occassional cha-cha or waltz... to add a little flavor.

During the break we were treated to a demonstration by two
couples doing a couple of tangos. The music isn't my favorite,
but the dance is beautiful--especially the footwork. Good news:
Forest Glen will be holding Tangos, with the requisite beginners'
lesson. (Coincidentally, just got an e-mail from Claire Colbert
who tells me the SHE is taking tango lessons!)

Dancing was followed by pancakes ala Frank (what IS his
secret?) and
what-were-supposed-to-be-omelets-but-looked-more-like-scrambled-e
ggs ala yours truly. I hope more folks will start coming to
Forest Glen events....the place is truly marvelous. And your
pennies go to a very good cause: renovating the ballroom.
Love to all,
---Ellen

We attended a rummage sale at a church in Chevy
Chase. I found a tubular steel Art Deco chair sitting off in the
corner --- it had a $1.00 price tag on it, but it was in
unusually bad condition. Someone had re-upholstered it in very
bad "nausea Green" Naugahyde. (NO Nauga should perish
for this horrible color...) On the other hand, the chrome steel
tubes of the chair form the outline of a perfect cube. I peered
beneath the dust cover and noticed an oak frame with springs that
had been attached by hand sewing. This detail and the aesthetics
placed the piece in the late 1920s, early 1930s, so I took the
fateful step and got out a dollar. (More about this
later...)

It's been weeks since we've made it to a Monday night at Chevy
Chase, and boy, was it nice to get back there. For reasons
unknown to me, it was slightly less crowded (and thus somewhat
cooler) last night, which was terrific.

There've been some changes since we were last there, with a
bunch of new (to us anyway) dancers in attendance. But some
things remain reassuringly the same: Bernstein was there, cranky
as ever, with his usual excellent song choices. And it was great
to see some folks I've haven't seen in a while - we've all been
going to different dances I think.

Jim and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and he asked a whole
passel of women to dance (go Jim!). As excited (and nervous and
scared) as I am for the marathon, I sure will be glad when it's
over and we can get back to our normal dance schedule!

While the Engels were dancing, I found myself knee deep in
problems with the Art Deco chair. It seems that someone had left
the chair out in the rain a lot! On the positive side, the
padding was real horsehair and cotton batting. On the negative
side, only forensic pathologists can appreciate dealing with
rotting horsehair and cotton batting. When I got the ugly
naugahyde cover off and disposed of the padding, I found that the
burlap had degenerated and there was considerable rot in the
frame --- particularly in the sculptured back which seemed to be
made out of a zillion pieces of laminated wood. So, I put away
my upholsterer's tools and took up my carpenters tools. Alas,
most of the rot was concentrated in the edges of the frame ---
the same places that need to be very sound to accept the tacks
and staples that hold the padding and fabric. It was fortunate
that our pile of scraps from old furniture repair had enough wood
to reconstruct the frame. The downside was that this took a
whole bunch of time...

In the "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" category,
Carole decided to help me out on Sunday by clearing out a small
patch of weeds on the back side of my garage. Alas, the area was
infested with industrial strength Poison Ivy. On Tuesday
Morning, her face was puffed up like a baloon and a trip to the
doctor was in order. So, between cortisone pills and baths in
colloidial oatmeal, Carole recuperated while I worked on the Art
Deco chair.

Working with a newly reconstructed frame, I had to re-set the
springs, a process that is singularly difficult and about as
exciting as watching paint dry. Not only is it physically
arduous and boring but there is hardly any room for error. The
springs have to be tied six ways and then burlap must be stiched
over them. So far, I had invested only about eight hours of work
in my dollar chair...

Carole was well enough for a trip to the Fabric Store. We
spent about an hour peering through the remnants bin. At the
bottom of the pile, we found the perfect fabric --- it looked
great and it had a regular small pattern that would be easy to
match. Fabric and thread came to $25. Next, we went to an
Upholstery shop. I had decided to replace the horsehair with
three inch high density non-dgradable foam; prices for this
stuff are sky high --- enough foam and dacron batting for the job
came to about $30.

The cushion requires welting between the seams, so that means
sewing through four layers of cloth. My sewing machine would not
handle the thickness, so we had to sew all the cushions by hand,
something that kept us busy for another four hours. Pulling,
tacking and stapling consumed another two hours.

By the time that we proudly placed the chair in the living
room, we had invested about fourteen hours and about $60 in our
dollar chair. Some things only look like bargains.

We attended a party for Carolyn Biczel and Tom
Koerner at Red Sage. Tricia Reneau did a great job of organizing
the party. We will have a rather lengthy photoessay on this
party up on the website soon.

We went to Forest Glen to see Indigo Swing. Much
Kudos to Jeff Frederick for organizing the event --- and to Steve
and Sue for working so hard to get the place in shape. Once
again, the boys were just great! We're going to let Elizabeth
Engel tell the story:

Having now heard Indigo Swing three times (Chevy Chase
Ballroom, 9:30 Club, and Forest Glen), I think I can definitively
say that these guys play best when they play to and for and with
dancers. Some bands get distracted by dancers, and some feed
off the energy, and Indigo Swing definitely falls into the second
category. They sounded great, and were looking none the worse
for the wear after their long stint on the road. A couple of
times, I could've sworn smoke was coming out of the piano (yep,
William's THAT hot a piano player).

And it's always great to dance in the lovely Forest Glen
ballroom --- the beauty may be a little faded due to the Army's
shameful neglect of the place, but shabby as it may be, it's
still a grand ballroom and one of the most elegant and attractive
dance spaces around.
The jam was good fun, although it was a shame that a few couples
were left waiting in the wings, most notably Peter and Misha (who
I personally don't think I've seen since the J Street Jumpers' CD
release party at Twist and Shout months ago) and Debra and Kenny
Roesel. And of course, Jeff and Tricia were stranded in
mid-air-step by the end of the jam, coming up with a really
terrific ad-lib of Jeff carrying Tricia off the floor on his back
(wish I'd had the camera out).

Yes, the boys in the band didn't seem to be used to playing
swing jams, as they had a little trouble stretching their songs,
and lots of folks are going out now, particularly as VSO draws
ever closer. But it seems to me that we all need to be a little
more careful to take turns and keep it short, particularly with
all the would-be jammers we have now.

Indigo Swing is now traveling with some dancers. They taught
us a new line dance called the Indigo Swing that plays on the
train theme of their new album. It was a little goofy, but it
was all in good fun and it was nice to get a big group doing it
for the band. I don't think it's going to replace the Shim Sham
around here, but if you're interested in learning it or you don't
quite remember the order, Jim got the whole thing down on
paper.

Oye. A joy every mother should experience: Jonathan, my 14
year old son, came with me to Forest Glen friday night, to help
Steve and Sue set up....and--oye mein Gutt--to take his first
dance lesson!!!! And he liked it! A number of women were nice
enough to "dance" with him...can you imagine 3 MINUTES of rock
step, with maybe one underarm turn?....and to tell me how cute he
is. He watched the jam and was particularly impressed by Carla,
whom he remembered came to the shop about a year ago....This all
occurred, as I said, at Forest Glen, at the Indigo Swing
concert.

The evening started early . Jonathan and I were there to do
whatever needed to be done....(and as Sue and Steve can surely
attest, a hell of a lot needs to be done--at any dance venue, but
ESPECIALLY at Forest Glen) Jonathan worked. Turns out my big
job was to make sure the boys got to Sue and Steve's for a great
chili dinner. Yum. Sue can cook! I also worked the table,
which means I sat out many of the dances, all worth it for the
cause!. I did not catch the jam, although Jonathan did--and he
was especially impressed by Carla Heiney (sp?). But when I did
get out on the floor, I danced like crazy. I never enjoy myself
more than when Indigo Swing is playing. Something about their
presense, their connection with the dancers. I had the joy of
dancing with Daks, one of the new Indigo Swing Dancers, who is a
great lead...and LOTS OF FUN.. My only critism of the evening
was the break in between sets. Daks and his partner spent 40
minutes...FORTY!...teaching a cute, but goofy dance. I spent the
time talking to the boys. William was upset about his piano,
which will need to be replaced soon.. And all of them were beat,
dead tired. This tour is tres demanding--they needed to leave
for Philadelphia at 5:0 0 am!!!! But none of this reflected in
their playing. They were outstanding! As usual.

We went to the Belmont Ball. Once again, this gets
very, very high marks for elegance. Once again, I'd like to
thank Jack Hilton for getting the information out to everyone.
It takes a lot to drag Carole and me away from and evening with
Tom Cunningham at Glen Echo, and this was it.

As usual, the ball was sponsored by the Masons (Federal Lodge
No. 1, F.A.A.M. and Federal Chapter No. 38 of the Order of the
Eastern Star). These are the York Rite Masons as distinguished
from the Scottish Rite Masons who run the Boumi Temple in
Baltimore. The ball was held at Belmont Mansion (1618 New
Hampshire Ave), one of washington's most outstanding
architectural landmarks. This wedge-shaped French Renaissance
mansion was designed by Eugene Sanson and Horace Trumbauer, who
later designed the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Both architects
studied at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris and they
collaborated to produce this fifty four (yes 54, folks) room
Louis XIX chateau, meticulously crafted of limestone and
ornamented with finely carved details including an elaborate
porte cochere, festooned urns on a balustrade surrounding
a prominent Mansard roof, two-story arched windows decorated with
carved roses, and hand-wrought iron work. The interior features
a staircase modeled on the Paris Opera House, a suite of rooms
including a circular Baroque music salon, a gilded drawing room,
and (most important) a 96 foot long scarlet silk and oak-paneled
Grand Ballroom.

Believe me, it was just as grand as the description and even
more. The place has been maintained immaculately and it is a
dazzler. Best of all, our hosts were genuinely glad
to see the dancers. We got first rate treatment. This year, I
wore the full uniform of a Knight Commander of the Knights
Templars (including dress sword and ostrich-plumed hat). The
Masons have been very good-humored about my appropriation of
their (antique) uniforms. We have some photos of this outfit on
the website.

The music was provided by Music Creations, and they did a
really great job. Let's see --- who was there: Marc and Ellen,
Trish Mannetti and Bill Lehman, Larry MacDonald, Deborah Brooks,
Dr. Daniel Fierer, Peter Gehring, Angela and Brian,Tricia and
Thomas, and now my memory is starting to fade....

While the rest of you hoity toity folks were strutting around
in your sequins and feathers and sashes, the rest of the great
unwashed were sweating it up at Glen Echo with the Tom Cunningham
Orchestra. As per usual, during these hot sweaty months, Steve
and I came late, after the jam. But we didn't miss the most
important part of the evening. The third set featured the
premiere of the woodwind section choreography to
"Moochin'", the premiere of that wonderful Krupa/O'Day
tune: "Stop! The Red Light's On" and my favorite, the
premiere of "Watch the Birdie." I'd like to think we
played a little role in that when we sat Robin and Tom down to
watch "Hellzapoppin'." Now we all have to work on our
Dean Collins whip!

Hey Frank and Carole,
Glen Echo was fun as usual. I spent much of my time dancing with
guys from church. One guy was there for his first time. I tried
to teach him some basic steps, but it was a bit difficult for me.
For some strange reason, I've never bothered to learn the guy's
leads. : ) I made sure that he saw the jam, hoping to inspire him
to come back.
---Elizabeth

Based on your previous review, Danielle and I went to
Poli-Tiki on Saturday. The Grandsons played a wide variety of
music but no real swing. Still some was dancable and we had fun
entertaining the twenty something crowd. The place does have some
class. I like the big soft chairs. They even have Indigo Swing
on the Jukebox along with lots of other swing hits. [Editor's
Note: Swing night at Poli-Tiki is on Friday; Saturdays
have been Rockabilly]

After Lindy Hopping for a few months, I decided it was time to
find out what West Coast
Swing was about. About 11:45 p.m. at Glen Echo, I developed a
real sense of urgency about this after I saw the schedule of VSO
workshops. Not wanting to pass up on the WC classes (most of
which were intermediate and advanced), I brainstormed with my
partner about how we could possibly pick up the fundamentals of
something I couldn't even properly recognize.

Not 10 feet from me I see Charlie (Wyler) in his pink zoot
suit, and it hits me that I've seen him and his old partner,
Jean, doing what I thought could be West Coast. I encouraged my
partner to ask him if he would be willing to take one or two
hours to teach us. His reply was "What about tomorrow?". Not 16
hours later, we were standing in his living room in
Baltimore.

We went through LOADS of stuff in the two hours we were there.
Given some very clear instructions, I got two shoefulls of a very
stylish dance. Charlie simply could not have been more
helpful.

While I'm by no means giving up on East Coast Lindy, I just
wanted everybody to know how great this West Coast style is!
Thank you Charlie.
---Adam LaVier

We went to Lewie's in Bethesda. More experienced dancers are
showing up and they moved some tables to accomidate the crowd.
Last night we even saw some vintage clothing. The DJ is
improving and is now playing some moderate tempo music...

Monday at Chevy Chase Ballroom saw an unusual event: it was
Mercedes Clemmons' birthday. Her "present" was three
attractive young men tied up in red-ribbons. (they were dressed
in abbreviated "Chippendale" costumes.) Mike Henry
promises further details and pictures at a later time.

We were in Baltimore on Tuesday. We began our day
VERY early and made our first stop at the Bargain Basement of
Shepherd-Pratt Hospital (6501 N. Charles Street --- way out,
near the intersection of Charles Street and I-695) They are only
open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 - 2:00, so make sure
that you call (410-938-4856) before you go. And go you should.
First, the store is located in the "Casino" a turn of
the century arts and crafts building with absolutely amazing
woodwork. Next, they keep all their vintage clothes on the third
floor, not generally accessible to the public. So, you will have
to convince the ladies that you are a connoisseur of vintage
before they will let you upstairs. We found a whole bunch of
treasures --- Carole found a couple of nice dresses and a WWII
nurses uniform. I found a pair of high waisted pants and the
meat-grinder attachment for my Sunbeam Mixer.

Next, we headed for Lexington Market and a great lunch of
chicken livers at Parks Fried Chicken. From there, we walked
three blocks towards Camden Yards and had the great fortune to
check out:

This is a WONDERLAND of wool and cotton gabardine. FOUR BIG
FLOORS of delightfully unorganized chaos --- treasures abound in
the remnants bin on the 4th floor. NO ALL WOOL FABRIC more than
$12.50 a yard --- many bolt ends were larger than three yards
--- at $2 to $6 a yard. Good choces in blends, cottons, even
voile shirting. Even stuff for linings.

I have brought back for your inspection some swatches of:

Cotton

Polyester

Wool

I've put them in the dance bag, so bug me about it.

Can someone produce and authentic 1940s gabardine garment so
that we may judge the current stock against history?

Just across the street is a store that actually repairs old
adding machines, cash registers, typewriters, and fans. It was a
real treat to visit this place of sublime antiquity. I found a
Victor adding machine from the mid 1930s --- this has a
streamlined brown Bakelite case with number keys in lime green.
I paid $20 for this treasure and it is a real piece of sculpture.
They have a number of fans from the 30s at very good prices. Two
doors down is a store that specializes in Stacy Adams shoes. So,
we had a great day in Baltimore.

We made our way back to the city, changed and headed out to
dinner at Sholl's and dancing at Ozio. Mark and Ellen had a nice
crowd and we had a good time --- we even got to show the
Jitterbug Stroll to he crowd. At 9:00 we were going to head out
to Vienna when fatigue hit us big time.